Since ancient times parents, particularly mothers, have created various devices to assist them to carry infants and young children when walking. Traditionally, most baby carriers have been designed for use by women. As parenting chores are often shared between both parents today, it has become increasingly important that baby carriers are available that will complement both male and female fashions and clothing styles. The prior art contains many examples of devices adapted to carry babies in a variety of ways.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,492,256, issued to Ive teaches a belt-mounted hip pouch that serves as a platform on which the infant sits. The pouch contains a folding neck harness attached to the outer edge of the pouch that is secured to the neck of the adult. U.S. Pat. No. 5,711,466, issued to Kataoka et al. discloses a baby holder in combination with a hip pouch. The carrier includes a waist strap, a neck strap and a folding pad wall designed to serve as either a back rest or front safety restraint for the baby, depending upon his orientation in the carrier. Yamaguchi adds a triangular piece of cloth or leather to the shoulder strap to provide additional support for the baby. The shoulder strap in this invention is also attached to the outer edge of the pouch. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,195,666). U.S. Pat. No. 5,657,912, issued to Nakayama is similar to Yamaguchi and adds an additional auxiliary strap above the triangular piece, to further support the baby's back.
It is an objective of the present invention to provide a compact, lightweight baby carrier that may be easily stowed in a small hip-mounted pouch. It is a further objective of the invention to provide a carrier that will allow the infant to be carried either facing towards or away from the adult wearing the carrier. It is still a further objective of the present invention that the carrier provide firm support for the baby's backside while ensuring that the baby can not slip inadvertently from the carrier. It is yet a further objective of the invention that the unit is comfortable for both the adult and the baby in walking and standing uses. It is another objective of the present invention that the carrier be adjustable for different size adults and babies. Finally, it is an objective of the invention that the carrier be compatible with both women's and men's fashions.
Other features and advantages of the invention will be seen from the following description and drawings.